TRANSFUSION SUPPORT IN NEONATES AT A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN URUGUAY: A TWO-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY
- 1Unidad Académica de Medicina Transfusional, Hospital de Clínicas (HC), Montevideo, Uruguay
- 2Unidad Académica de Neonatología, Hospital de Clínicas (HC), Montevideo, Uruguay
Abstract
Introduction: A neonate is an infant from birth to 28 days of life. Preterm and very low birth weight neonates frequently require transfusion support due to physiological immaturity and severe underlying clinical conditions. Neonatal transfusion practice involves specific characteristics such as small-volume transfusions, pediatric aliquots, and specially processed blood components, with thresholds tailored to gestational age, birth weight, and clinical status all of which are observed when determining transfusion management at the Hospital de Clínicas. Objectives: To characterize transfusion support among neonates admitted to the Neonatology Unit of Hospital de Clínicas, Uruguay, during 2024–2025, including transfusion practices, clinical characteristics, indications, adverse reactions and outcomes. Materials and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, observational study included neonates who received at least one blood component between January 2024 and December 2025. Demographic and clinical characteristics, indications, blood components, adverse reactions and outcomes were analyzed using electronic clinical and transfusion records. Variables were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies and compared between years. Results: Among 1,267 live births (646 in 2024; 621 in 2025), 21 neonates required transfusion support: 9 (1.4%) in 2024 and 12 (1.9%) in 2025. In 2024, mean gestational age was 27.9 weeks (range 23–32) and mean birth weight 1,025 g (590–1,470); in 2025, 28.7 weeks (23+1–34+6) and 1,426 g (500–3,625), respectively. Thirty transfusion episodes were recorded in 2024, mean 3.3 per patient (range 1–8), versus 37 in 2025, mean 3.1 (1–8). Plasma-depleted red blood cells were most frequently used (8/9 patients in 2024; 10/12 in 2025), followed by platelets (4/9; 5/12), fresh frozen plasma (1/9; 2/12) and cryoprecipitate (1/9; 1/12). In extremely preterm and very-low-birth-weight infants transfused for anemia, pre-transfusion hemoglobin predominantly ranged from 7–8 g/dL. Platelets were indicated for severe thrombocytopenia (<20,000/mm³) or moderate thrombocytopenia with risk factors, clinical instability or bleeding. Thresholds and practices were assessed according to the NHS Transfusion Policy for Neonates and Children (2014). No transfusion-related adverse events were recorded, although underdiagnosis or underreporting cannot be excluded. Discussion: Transfusion support was associated with lower gestational age, lower birth weight and greater clinical severity. The higher proportion transfused in 2025 may reflect differences in patient complexity. The absence of reported reactions highlights the need to strengthen neonatal hemovigilance. Conclusion: Neonatal transfusion support was associated with prematurity, very low birth weight and severe illness. Adherence to international recommendations supports current practice while reinforcing individualized decision-making. These findings provide real-world evidence from a Latin American tertiary center and highlight hemovigilance as a key component of transfusion quality and safety.
Related
- ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE PATTERNS OF BACTERIAL ISOLATES FROM NEONATES WITH SEPSIS AT LIVINGSTONE UNIVERSITY TEACHING HOSPITAL, ZAMBIA
- Factors associated with actual mode of delivery among women attending antenatal education at a university hospital in Türkiye: a retrospective observational study
- Association Between Sleep-Related Medication Use and Recurrent Falls Among Inpatients: A Five-Year Retrospective Observational Study at a University Hospital
- Long-term implant integrity and complications after risk-reducing mastectomy with immediate implant reconstruction: a retrospective cohort study with prospective ultrasound follow-up at a Swedish university hospital
- A cluster analysis of neonates using clinical signs of possible serious bacterial infection at hospital admission in Kenya: A retrospective multicentre cohort study
BibTeX
@article{miraballes2026transfusion,
title = {{TRANSFUSION SUPPORT IN NEONATES AT A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN URUGUAY: A TWO-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY}},
author = {Florencia MIRABALLES and Florencia BETANCOUR and Gabriela RIVAS and Maximiliano BERRO and Fernanda BLASINA and Felipe LEMOS},
journal = {Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.htct.2026.107349},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.htct.2026.107349},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - TRANSFUSION SUPPORT IN NEONATES AT A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN URUGUAY: A TWO-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY
AU - Florencia MIRABALLES
AU - Florencia BETANCOUR
AU - Gabriela RIVAS
AU - Maximiliano BERRO
AU - Fernanda BLASINA
AU - Felipe LEMOS
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - Hematology, Transfusion and Cell Therapy
DO - 10.1016/j.htct.2026.107349
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.htct.2026.107349
AB - Introduction: A neonate is an infant from birth to 28 days of life. Preterm and very low birth weight neonates frequently require transfusion support due to physiological immaturity and severe underlying clinical conditions. Neonatal transfusion practice involves specific characteristics such as small-volume transfusions, pediatric aliquots, and specially processed blood components, with thresholds tailored to gestational age, birth weight, and clinical status all of which are observed when determining transfusion management at the Hospital de Clínicas. Objectives: To characterize transfusion support among neonates admitted to the Neonatology Unit of Hospital de Clínicas, Uruguay, during 2024–2025, including transfusion practices, clinical characteristics, indications, adverse reactions and outcomes. Materials and methods: A retrospective, descriptive, observational study included neonates who received at least one blood component between January 2024 and December 2025. Demographic and clinical characteristics, indications, blood components, adverse reactions and outcomes were analyzed using electronic clinical and transfusion records. Variables were expressed as absolute and relative frequencies and compared between years. Results: Among 1,267 live births (646 in 2024; 621 in 2025), 21 neonates required transfusion support: 9 (1.4%) in 2024 and 12 (1.9%) in 2025. In 2024, mean gestational age was 27.9 weeks (range 23–32) and mean birth weight 1,025 g (590–1,470); in 2025, 28.7 weeks (23+1–34+6) and 1,426 g (500–3,625), respectively. Thirty transfusion episodes were recorded in 2024, mean 3.3 per patient (range 1–8), versus 37 in 2025, mean 3.1 (1–8). Plasma-depleted red blood cells were most frequently used (8/9 patients in 2024; 10/12 in 2025), followed by platelets (4/9; 5/12), fresh frozen plasma (1/9; 2/12) and cryoprecipitate (1/9; 1/12). In extremely preterm and very-low-birth-weight infants transfused for anemia, pre-transfusion hemoglobin predominantly ranged from 7–8 g/dL. Platelets were indicated for severe thrombocytopenia (<20,000/mm³) or moderate thrombocytopenia with risk factors, clinical instability or bleeding. Thresholds and practices were assessed according to the NHS Transfusion Policy for Neonates and Children (2014). No transfusion-related adverse events were recorded, although underdiagnosis or underreporting cannot be excluded. Discussion: Transfusion support was associated with lower gestational age, lower birth weight and greater clinical severity. The higher proportion transfused in 2025 may reflect differences in patient complexity. The absence of reported reactions highlights the need to strengthen neonatal hemovigilance. Conclusion: Neonatal transfusion support was associated with prematurity, very low birth weight and severe illness. Adherence to international recommendations supports current practice while reinforcing individualized decision-making. These findings provide real-world evidence from a Latin American tertiary center and highlight hemovigilance as a key component of transfusion quality and safety.
SN - 2531-1379
SN - 2531-1387
ER -